Apple has kicked off its product launch week with a refreshed iPad Air, now powered by the M4 chip and upgraded with more unified memory and new in-house wireless silicon.
The update centers on three Apple-designed chips: M4, C1X, and N1.
M4 brings faster performance and more memory
The biggest upgrade is the move to the M4 chip.
Apple says M4 is “up to 30 percent faster than iPad Air with M3 and up to 2.3x faster than iPad Air with M1.” The chip also brings a memory bump. The new model includes 12GB of unified memory, which is 50 percent more than the M3 version.
That added RAM is designed to better handle multitasking features in iPadOS 26 and heavier creative workflows.
As Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, put it:
“With its blazing performance thanks to M4, incredible AI capabilities, and game-changing iPadOS 26 features, there’s never been a better time to choose or upgrade to iPad Air.”
C1X and N1 expand Apple silicon inside iPad Air
For cellular models, iPad Air now transitions to Apple’s in-house C1X 5G modem, previously introduced in the iPhone Air and later adopted by the M5 iPad Pro.
Apple claims C1X delivers “30 percent less modem energy usage than iPad Air with M3,” which could translate into better battery life for heavy cellular users.
The new N1 wireless chip adds support for:
- Wi-Fi 7
- Bluetooth 6
- Thread
Apple says N1 improves performance on 5GHz Wi-Fi networks and enhances reliability for features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.
Sizes, colors, and pricing
The M4 iPad Air remains available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes. Color options stay the same: Space Gray, Blue, Purple, and Starlight.
Pricing also remains unchanged:
- 11-inch model starts at $599
- 13-inch model starts at $799
- Base storage remains 128GB
Pre-orders begin March 4 at 6:15 a.m. PT, with availability starting March 11.
With M4, more RAM, and expanded in-house silicon, this update focuses less on design changes and more on pushing iPad Air deeper into performance territory.
